They are an embarrassment. They are impossible to watch. They are a clown show. They slip on the proverbial banana peel on national television. They are the biggest group of underachievers in the NFL.

Not the New York Jets, folks. Meet your 2012 Detroit Lions.

Yes, the Lions (4-10) are back to being a laughing stock. And yet, nobody is really focusing on it to the level it deserves.

What a difference a year makes. One year ago, the NFL world was genuinely celebrating the Lions' return to the playoffs. Jim Schwartz turned the program around. Lifelong Lions Dominic Raiola and Jason Hanson were being celebrated for their persistence. I remember interviewing them on SiriusXM radio and getting the chills during each conversation as they explained the tormented path from NFL hell back to the promised land. They both stressed how much it meant to the city and the fans.

On Sunday, it was as if they reenacted a scene from the inept files. They played the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale. The Cards were on a nine-game losing streak and featured an offense right out of the stone ages.

Arizona blew out Detroit 38-10.

Let that marinate for a second.

The bleeping Cardinals blasted the Lions and won by four touchdowns.

Ryan Lindley now has one win in his career. Chances are it will be the only win he ever has. And it came against the 2012 Detroit Lions.

If Matt Millen was still in charge (I apologize to Lions fans for making them sick with that thought), Detroit's failures would be getting attention. Millen was an overmatched, out-of-touch leader and a great symbol of the 0-16 Lions in 2008, also known as the worst team in history. Maybe Lions fans think this season doesn't really register on the embarrassment scale. And in theory, they would know.

How about this nugget of futility? The Minnesota Vikings and Christian Ponder have double the amount of wins as Matthew Stafford's Lions. Imagine if I told you that in the preseason.

I thought the Lions would take a step back and go 8-8. I didn't like the run game or the back end of the defense. I never expected this.

What's most alarming about this horrendous season is it raises legit questions about the Big 3 in Motown: Jim Schwartz, Matthew Stafford, and Ndamukong Suh.

Schwartz deserves so much credit for his focus and leadership in restoring credibility. He deserves so much blame for this season. It started in the offseason. A Lions player was arrested or charged seven times, with Mikel Leshoure and now ex-Lion Aaron Berry getting hit twice. That's insane. That's unfathomable. That's a distraction. Jim Schwartz joked in the offseason that you wouldn't see his Lions go skeet-shooting in lieu of practicing, like Mike McCarthy's Packers. Well, you won't see arrests in Green Bay to that level. Or New England. Or in places where the playoffs are the norm.

The Lions consistently commit penalties in big spots. Suh has played foolish and dirty for two years and Schwartz hasn't done a thing. And this season, Suh hardly has been a dominant player. The Lions are undisciplined on and off the field, and Schwartz enables it.

Schwartz poked fun at Jim Harbaugh last season for not knowing when to throw the challenge flag. On Thanksgiving Day, with the nation watching, Schwartz was guilty of not knowing these very rules and cost his team dearly. It was classic irony and mismanagement.

Do you realize that Matthew Stafford basically has a 1:1 ratio for touchdowns to interceptions, chucking 17 scores against 15 picks? Stafford (three INTs) largely was responsible for Detroit's humiliating loss to the Cards.

In addition to his poor play, what bothers me is Stafford's attitude and lack of leadership. When we talked on the SiriusXM Blitz a few weeks ago while he was promoting some hair product, soft drink, backwards baseball cap or something, Stafford didn't think the off-season issues and overall lack of accountability had anything to do with the poor play. Would this ever happen with any of the true elite quarterbacks? Think about it. Both Mannings, Rodgers, Brady, Brees demand accountability from their teammates. Stafford does not.

Football fans are stuck with the Lions on Saturday night in primetime. They face the Atlanta Falcons. They will lose for the 11th time this season.

Schwartz, Stafford, and Suh will be back. They changed the franchise in 2011. But in 2013, Jim Schwartz will have plenty of time to go skeet shooting in the spring after watching the Packers play meaningful football in January.

One thing they mentioned that I like was something I mentioned a few months ago...staffs lack of leadership. He shows little fire. He visibly demands little from the players. He's a captain and the leader of that offense, but there's very little leadership going on. It's the QBs job. If Titus was lining up in the wrong spot over and over, you call a TO and tell the coach. Tell the coach, if he's too dumb to see it, and have his rectum benched. Staff shows very little emotion on 2 minute drills like we saw early last year. I think he's becoming lionized and getting used to losing.

I agree. The stuff in the national media has really taken a personal turn that doesn't sit well with me. We're having a rough year, sure, but people are piling on and twisting the knife. It's like they're ridiculing us for thinking we could be a top team.

Of course, I'm sure the Eagles and Cowboys will be on top of their power rankings next preseason. F*** that.

_________________Jim Caldwell, on whether Jim Harbaugh is stealing his thunder: "Me? I don't have any thunder."

December 21st, 2012, 10:01 am

Pablo

RIP Killer

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 9:21 amPosts: 9596Location: Dallas

Re: Killer's Korner

TheRealWags wrote:

NFL.com wrote:

What's most alarming about this horrendous season is it raises legit questions about the Big 3 in Motown: Jim Schwartz, Matthew Stafford, and Ndamukong Suh.

They finished 4-12 and closed the season with eight straight losses, but Detroit Lions president Tom Lewand said he still believes the team has the nucleus of a “perennial championship contender."

So how did things go so wrong this year?

“What happened is, the NFL,” Lewand said during an appearance on WWJ-TV (Channel 62) on Sunday. “It is an awfully, awfully, fiercely competitive business. You talk about any given Sunday or one play and a game of inches, and that’s what it is.

“We still have a lot of confidence in our young players -- Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson with a record year -- guys who can form the nucleus of a perennial championship contender. Obviously, we’re disappointed. We got off the rails a little bit, and it’s our challenge to get back on the rails and make sure that our fans know that we’re doing the right things and that we’re invested in the outcome on Sundays in 2013.”

The Lions were one of the NFL’s biggest disappointments this year, failing to beat a single NFC North team. They are entering a crucial off-season with most of their coaching staff and front office intact.

They have 23 unrestricted free agents and will experience plenty of roster turnover, but they return their four best players in Stafford, Johnson and defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley.

Johnson, who set an NFL single-season receiving record with 1,964 yards this year, is the elder statesman of the group at 27. All four players are in the prime of their careers.

Johnson just finished his sixth NFL season, Suh turned 26 on Sunday, and Stafford and Fairley turn 25 in the coming weeks. Stafford (2009), Suh (2010) and Fairley (2011) were three of the Lions’ last four first-round picks.

“I think the responsibility of ownership is to give the team the resources it needs and provide the leadership, and the Fords do that as well as anybody,” Lewand said. “We’ve, obviously, had our challenges along the way or over different eras, but I have a lot of confidence in the team that we have right now, with our head coach, our general manager and, most importantly, that nucleus of players to get us going in that right direction and make good on the investment and the direction the Fords want us to go.”

Lewand, who appeared on the show “Michigan Matters,” said he expects significant improvement in 2013.

Grades for offense, defense and special teams unit by unit. As you'd expect, we didn't do well anywhere.

January 9th, 2013, 11:38 pm

Pablo

RIP Killer

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 9:21 amPosts: 9596Location: Dallas

Re: Killer's Korner

NFL.com wrote:

Report: Jim Washburn to coach Detroit Lions defense

A reunion will take place in Detroit this offseason.

Former Philadelphia Eagles defensive line coach Jim Washburn will join the Detroit Lions staff, USA Today's Mike Garafolo reported Monday. Washburn will be an assistant coach, but will not replace defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, according to Garafolo.

Washburn will be reunited with Lions coach Jim Schwartz after the two spent eight seasons together with the Tennessee Titans from 2001 to 2008.

Washburn's son, Jeremiah, is also on the Lions staff and was recently promoted to offensive line coach after spending four seasons as offensive line assistant.

The elder Washburn's hire coincides with Schwartz's adamant statement that the Lions defensive line will continue to use the much-debated Wide 9.

"We are predominantly playing Wide 9, but we play other fronts," he said Monday, via the Detroit Free Press. "We're not exclusive that way, and every year you want to try to put your players in what best fits their skill level, and guys like Cliff (Avril) and (Kyle) Vanden Bosch and (Lawrence Jackson) and Willie (Young), they fit very well into that defense."

Schwartz and Jim Washburn used the technique to great success in Tennessee. But Washburn was dismissed by the Eagles last season after his line underperformed and his relationship with the staff became toxic.

Lions fans have been frustrated with the scheme after watching team after team gash Ndamukong Suh and company with inside runs and wham blocks.

Linebacker Stephen Tulloch, who played with Washburn in Tennessee, was ecstatic when learning about the hire Tuesday morning on WDFN-AM.

"Jim Washburn will make this defense that much better....he's a legend," he said.

Former Philadelphia Eagles defensive line coach Jim Washburn will join the Detroit Lions staff, USA Today's Mike Garafolo reported Monday. Washburn will be an assistant coach, but will not replace defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, according to Garafolo.

Washburn will be reunited with Lions coach Jim Schwartz after the two spent eight seasons together with the Tennessee Titans from 2001 to 2008.

Washburn's son, Jeremiah, is also on the Lions staff and was recently promoted to offensive line coach after spending four seasons as offensive line assistant.

The elder Washburn's hire coincides with Schwartz's adamant statement that the Lions defensive line will continue to use the much-debated Wide 9.

"We are predominantly playing Wide 9, but we play other fronts," he said Monday, via the Detroit Free Press. "We're not exclusive that way, and every year you want to try to put your players in what best fits their skill level, and guys like Cliff (Avril) and (Kyle) Vanden Bosch and (Lawrence Jackson) and Willie (Young), they fit very well into that defense."

Schwartz and Jim Washburn used the technique to great success in Tennessee. But Washburn was dismissed by the Eagles last season after his line underperformed and his relationship with the staff became toxic.

Lions fans have been frustrated with the scheme after watching team after team gash Ndamukong Suh and company with inside runs and wham blocks.

Linebacker Stephen Tulloch, who played with Washburn in Tennessee, was ecstatic when learning about the hire Tuesday morning on WDFN-AM.

"Jim Washburn will make this defense that much better....he's a legend," he said.

Lions fans hope he's right.

* Sigh... Lack of imagination and proper interviewing all over again... Didn't Marinelli have a ton of former coaches that he worked with and their family members on his staff? I know that doesn't mean this hire is inherently bad, but I wish they would be more professional about their approach, come up with a set criteria of what they're looking for, interview multiple candidates for the position, and select the best guy, opposed to hiring someone "familiar."

January 22nd, 2013, 3:13 pm

DJ-B

Rookie Player of the Year

Joined: April 5th, 2007, 5:51 pmPosts: 2327

Re: Killer's Korner

Pablo wrote:

NFL.com wrote:

"We are predominantly playing Wide 9, but we play other fronts," he said Monday, via the Detroit Free Press. "We're not exclusive that way, and every year you want to try to put your players in what best fits their skill level, and guys like Cliff (Avril) and (Kyle) Vanden Bosch and (Lawrence Jackson) and Willie (Young), they fit very well into that defense."

Thats why we did so well with it last season........ oh wait....

January 22nd, 2013, 3:30 pm

The Legend

Off. Coordinator – Joe Lombardi

Joined: February 11th, 2005, 3:01 pmPosts: 4030Location: WSU

Re: Killer's Korner

I think Washburn is a good hire but this reveals that Schwartz isnt going to change anything. He s going deeper and deeper into the hole he s digging with the wide 9. Suh and Fairley are talented enough players that they should be able to react to any kind of blocking scheme rather than playing this gimmick overaggressive scheme. Schwartz thinks he s the smartest guy in the room and he s never wrong, I dont expect him to learn from his mistakes. Wake up Coach, you just went 4-12

January 22nd, 2013, 3:42 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Killer's Korner

The Legend wrote:

I think Washburn is a good hire but this reveals that Schwartz isnt going to change anything. He s going deeper and deeper into the hole he s digging with the wide 9. Suh and Fairley are talented enough players that they should be able to react to any kind of blocking scheme rather than playing this gimmick overaggressive scheme. Schwartz thinks he s the smartest guy in the room and he s never wrong, I dont expect him to learn from his mistakes. Wake up Coach, you just went 4-12

I agree... And you can't call it a lack of talent on the DL. We have all the talent we need up there. Arguably we had one lack luster position on the DL last year in KVB, but we still should have been much, much better at getting to the Qb.

IMO the Atl game showed exactly what I'm talking about... When Atl was keeping the D fresh and off of the field they played great. Atl went 3 and out after a long drive, and it was all down hill from there. Even with 8 solid DLman there isn't enough "rotation" to keep everyone fresh. You have to keep those guys off the field for them to stay fresh, period. We need to be able to run the ball, pick up 3.6+ yards per carry, and have the ability to move the ball on the ground when everyone knows we're going to run. We need to be able to pick up 3rd and shorts, or this D will never be good, regardless as to who our personnel groups are.

January 22nd, 2013, 3:50 pm

Pablo

RIP Killer

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 9:21 amPosts: 9596Location: Dallas

Re: Killer's Korner

speaking of the wide 9...

"We're not going to 3-4," Schwarz said -- and he said the Wide 9, where defensive ends line up outside the tight end for better pass-rushing angles, is here to stay, too.

"What we want to do is try to put our players in the best position that fits their skill level," Schwartz said at the Senior Bowl. "We didn't have enough sacks this year to be able to blame that on the Wide 9."